This disclosure relates to energy management, and more particularly to energy management of household consumer appliances. The disclosure finds particular application in changing existing appliances via add-on features or modules, and incorporating new energy saving features and functions into new appliances.
Currently utilities charge a flat rate or flat cost, but with increasing cost of fuel prices and high energy usage at certain parts of the day, utilities have to buy more energy to supply customers during peak demand. Consequently, utilities are charging higher rates, or structuring higher costs, during peak demand. If peak demand can be lowered, then a potential huge cost savings can be achieved and the peak load that the utility has to accommodate is lessened.
One proposed third party solution is to provide a system where a controller “switches” the actual energy supply to the appliance or control unit on and off. However, there is no active control beyond the mere on/off switching. It is believed that others in the industry cease some operations in an appliance during on-peak time.
Most dishwashers have or will have an automatic hot start feature that automatically occurs at the beginning of a cycle if incoming water temperature is not hot enough to effectively aid in wash performance. If the water temperature on a first fill does not exceed a predetermined temperature, the controller automatically re-runs the fill (i.e., the water is drained from the dishwasher and filled again). Subsequently, the controller then checks the water temperature again to determine if the incoming water meets or exceeds the temperature requirement. The controller will repeat this process up to three times in an effort to purge the incoming hot water line of any residual cold water. A possibility of cold water in the incoming hot water line is particularly evident in homes, for example, where the water line from the hot water heater to the dishwasher is very long, or is in either a crawl space or slab during the cold winter months. As a result of the hot start feature, a user can use up to six gallons of water from the hot water heater, instead of using one and one-half gallons of hot water. These volumes are approximate only. By disabling the auto hot start feature during a high or critical rate period, a consumer or homeowner may save on water and energy usage from the hot water heater during such periods.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved dishwasher control that in response to elevated operation rates of the energy company, e.g., high or critical rate or demand periods, is operative to selectively disable the auto hot start feature.